The Case of the White Rose
by fantasyguardian
Summary: Matt, an unknown detective and a widower, gets a giftbox with a weird message inside. Is it really the case he had been waiting for? Or just a bad trick?
1. This is my case

_**Some of you might know me from "Ups and Downs". So, hello again. Others are new, so, a pleasure to meet you all!**_

_**This fanfiction is very different from Ups and Downs if you are reading it. For two simple reasons. **_

_**Ups and Downs was written when I was younger. While I am still posting it now, it's written differently. At least I think so **_

_**This plot is much more … serious and in general, darker in style. **_

_**But all in all, I hope you guys would give this a try and will review to let me know what you liked and what you didn't like.**_

_**Also, please note that the picture used as a cover is by Shadow Panther13 from deviantart.**_

_**With that I leave you for the first Chapter.**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the Digimon characters.**_

**Chapter 1 : This is my case**

Aimlessly, I lost myself to the internet. Jumping from one page to the other, my eyes stared idly at the screen.

There was nothing new. Lying … Bad Mouthing … Stealing … Killing … No, there was nothing new. Bored of all this nonsense, I closed the laptop and walked to the window. A thunderstorm was approaching judging by the dark sky and the rumble of thunder I could hear from a distance.

I could see my reflection in the glass. Blonde locks fell messily on my face. My crystal blue eyes stared coldly right back at me. I had lost all interest in this world. Ever since that night…There just didn't seem any reason to go on.

Closing my eyes, scenes started to play themselves in front of me.

"_No. No you won't go outside." Her usually soft amber eyes were wide with fury._

"_I'd like to see you stop me. I've had enough of your bossiness. I've had enough of you not caring. I've had enough of trying to change me." I yelled grabbing my rain coat from the closet hastily._

"_Matt. I am not trying to change you. I am just worried. Matt. I care about you."_

_My hand faltered on top of the door knob for a second before I finally decided to open the door and yelled at her, "Yeah right." With that, I slammed the door behind my back and walked outside. I could hear her calling my name behind the closed door, but I didn't turn back._

_That night I came back…But it was too late._

The doorbell snapped me out of my state. Who could it be? I hadn't been expecting anyone.

Hearing the bell ring again, I walked to the door and opened it only to find no one outside. And through the heavy curtain of rain, I couldn't even see anyone walking. Something caught my eyes, however. There was a box on the fading 'welcome' mat. It was wrapped as a gift box. It wasn't my birthday, however.

After looking around again and seeing no one, I bent down, took the gift box and went back inside making sure to close the door behind my back.

I looked down at the box and saw no card. My curiosity got the best of me as it always did and I finally unwrapped the box. Inside was a single white rose and a note.

_Sometimes things aren't always what they seem._

_Sometime it's not too late._

_Sometimes you can make things right_

_Even when you're worlds apart._

_I need your help._

_Will you accept the call?_

_If so, leave the empty box outside._

_If not, bring me back my rose. Forget about it all_

I didn't understand. Was this some sort of a trick? A bad one, at that. Who would walk in this heavy rain to deliver this.

Intrigued by this all, however, I decided to see where this was going and left the empty box outside.

…

In the morning and on my way to work, I noticed that the box was gone. But didn't give it any more thought. In the night before, I had decided that this didn't make any sense and that it would most probably turn out to be fake. But something inside me was hoping it was for real. I needed something interesting in my life. This was the first exciting to happen to me ever since Serena had passed away.

After closing the door, I headed for the car and went through the usual morning routine of buying a cup of coffee, the morning newspaper and the usual traffic jam.

In about half an hour, I was at the office. Sam was there of course with another one of his usual female companions. Seeing me stepping in, he straightened himself and asked, "Have you finished the Heffingtons' case yet?"

"No 'Good Morning'?" I asked sitting down at my office.

He turned to the woman he had with him and said, "See how hard it is to have good assistants nowadays? I give him a small task and he never finishes it in time."

I was half tempted to retort that, but I bit my tongue and decided against it. I needed this job. And sadly, I've dug myself way too deeply with Sam that I couldn't get out now. For years, I had worked on the cases in his office while he took all the credit. You might wonder why in the world we had such an agreement. It was simple really. Sam was the son of a famous detective and luckily for him, after the death of his father, most people trusted him with their cases. I, on the other hand, while I was smarter than him, was a nobody. I tried having my own office for a while, but didn't get any cases. After marrying Serena, I needed to support us and with a child on the way, I decided to accept the truth, swallow my pride and work for Sam.

"I expect the case to be done by tonight." He demanded putting on his coat and leading the woman outside.

…

Later that night and as I checked the mailbox, I noticed from the corner of my eyes another box on the welcome mat. I hurried to pick it up and go inside to see what it contained for me this time. There was another white rose and another note.

_You need me and I need you_

_As the clock strikes midnight, he'll be on the move_

_Don't try to stop him for it's too late_

_Tomorrow, however is another date_

There were no more instructions. I couldn't understand what this had to do with anything…My heart sank as I started to feel that this was getting me nowhere. That it really was a waste of time.

Against all sanity, however, I still clung to the belief I still had within and I decided to leave the box outside again that night.

…

In the next morning and as I worked on yet another case, Sam watched the news. I had a feeling he didn't even understand what they were saying. I had no idea why he was watching. But I was lucky he did.

Something caught my attention. There was news of another woman being murdered. Her neighbours heard her scream around midnight, but by the time they arrived they saw her on the ground dead…With a white rose on top of her heart…Just like Serena.

At that moment, however, I realized that the gifts were not a trick. Something much more serious was going on.

"This is my case." I whispered to myself.


	2. Almost An Accident

**Well, chapter two is here. Not bad, huh? An update this soon! Well, I thought that only this once, I will update this soon…Mainly because I feel if you guys want to decide whether to follow the story or not, you need to at least see some of the other characters, no?**

**I will try as much as I can to have this fanfic be weekly updated considering that I already have most of it planned. **

**Hope you enjoy this one and always remember that reviews are highly appreciated! **

**Disclaimer: I don't not own the Digimon characters.**

**Chapter Two: Almost an accident**

I stared at the screen and the horrific pictures they were showing of the victim and felt my heart pounding hard in my chest. Could it be that whoever is sending me those roses and notes knows who the serial killer is? But if that person really did, why in the world did he or she choose me out of all detectives?

"This is nothing but a publicity stunt," scoffed Sam as he turned off the TV.

I couldn't help but roll my eyes and say, "You don't say."

Leaning back in his chair, he explained to me rather pompously, "Of course. It's crystal clear. Serial killers are generally no ones who have no family and no lives and are willing to take drastic measures to see something they're doing broadcasted on TV."

"You mean to tell me that people of high birth don't kill?"

"Mattie Mattie Mattie!" He said laughing, "They do … But only those that mean something to them. That fellow we have over there kills a woman every month or so. And there are no connections whatsoever between those women."

To be honest, I decided to mute the rest of the conversation out pretending to be focusing on the case I was working on. The truth, however, was that the case was the last thing on I mind.

…..

"Matt! It's so good to see you!" exclaimed Mimi as I entered the office of my best friend, Tai Kamiya.

Mimi was Tai's fiancée. She defined gorgeousness and grace with her perfect body and her long light brown hair that framed her face. She was an ex-model for a reason after all. But what accented her beauty was her kind heart that resembled that of my best friend. You could practically see the warmth in her hazel eyes.

After Serena's death, I spent months living like a zombie. While it was understandable that I would feel that way considering I lost my wife and unborn child on one night, I was unbearable at times. I would refuse to eat for days and withdraw to silence. Mimi and Tai, however, didn't give up on me and stayed with me. They helped me move on one night at a time. While I still suffered because of my loss, at least now, I was alive. I was moving on. And I owe it all for my best friend and Mimi.

A small smile appeared on me face as I said, "Likewise. Seeing you always makes my day."

"She's taken, blondie. Flirting will get you nowhere."

I turned around to see my brown haired friend. His hair was messy as always. It's always been a problem for Tai ever since we were children. No matter what he did, his stubborn hair always rebelled against him. His chocolate brown eyes twinkled with mischief and humor.

Tai worked as a police officer. For years, he proved himself worthy of that badge he wore on his chest proudly. As a kid, he had always been an athlete. From soccer to basketball and Tennis, he tried them all. That did pay him well now. He could run for miles and miles at a time without losing speed or breaking a sweat.

Mimi chuckled and walked to Tai's desk to give him a quick kiss on the cheek. I couldn't help but smile at them, then, said in my usual sarcastic tone, "Don't count on it, bushy head. I still have my charm."

"Seriously, boys will always be boys." Mimi commented chuckling before taking her purse and saying, "I have to go now. The men from the furniture store should be arriving soon." After putting on a fancy hat on her head, she winked at us and said," Don't kill each other." And with that she was gone.

I turned my head to look at Tai and noticed the dreamy look in his eyes. "Honestly, get married already. What are you two waiting for?"

"Well…we needed to make sure the house was ready."

"And since the furniture is arriving, I would say it is." I said as I sat down on a chair across from Tai's desk.

"We also needed to wait for me to be able to take a vacation."

"And when is that going to be?"

Sighing, Tai ran a hand through his bushy hair in an attempt to make it lie down and said, "Not anytime soon…Things are messy here to say the least."

"Because of the murders?"

"Yeah…We can't seem to keep up. We are at a disadvantage." Tai got up and walked to the window, then went on, "We can't seem to predict his next move. We don't see any patterns. Nothing seems to be connecting the women killed. I highly doubt that they even knew the criminal before their death."

One of those women was Serena…She had always been a very loving woman. We argued at times, but that was because she cared. I know that now. I didn't see why anyone would want to kill her. She did nothing wrong and yet she was dead.

Before the misery took over me again, I said, "That's why I'm here, Tai. I need a favor."

Smiling, Tai feigned pain and said, "And here I was thinking that you just came here to see your best friend." Leaning by the wall, he asked, "How can I help you, blondie?"

"I need the files of all the murdered women…I think I …"

Before I finished the sentence, Tai interrupted, "Matt, I know you're angry and you want to avenge Serena, but dwelling over the files would only make the pain worse."

"I am not doing this for me." I said defending myself. Tai gave me a disbelieving look, so I added, "Well…Maybe I am. But not just for Serena. I don't want anyone else to lose their beloved one because of that psycho … And I think I might have a lead."

"Oh yeah? What kind of a lead?" asked Tai still not believing me.

"Well…I don't have it yet…But someone has been contacting me lately…And I think he or she knows something about the murderer."

"Matt…If you do know something, why don't you just file a report?"

I looked him straight in the eye, "This is my case, Tai. My career can really start with this. And I want to avenge Serena myself…Besides, if that person chose me to ask for help, don't you think there could be a reason for that?"

Tai seemed thoughtful for a second, then said, "I am crazy for going through with this…I will try to bring you the files. No promises though…Those files in particular are protected."

…

On my way home, my thoughts were all over the place. Between the cases I had to work on for Sam and the 'white rose' case as I started to call it in my head, I wasn't really paying attention to where I was driving…Very immature of me, especially that it was raining hard, but that's what happened.

Suddenly, however, a woman appeared in front of my car and I barely had the time to brake before I hit her. As soon as the car came to a halt, I quickly got off and hurried to help her.

"I am extremely sorry. I…Are you okay?" I asked helping her up.

She pushed the hat she was wearing up to reveal her face. She was stunning. Her eyes were unique. They looked as if they were made of fire. They didn't look scary, however. They were warm and inviting.

Her long hair red hair fell on her back smoothly with a few locks sneaking from under the hat to frame her face.

She looked taken aback when she saw my face as if she had seen me before, but then she smiled and said, "It was my fault. I didn't look before I crossed the street."

When she got up, I took a better look at her and noticed that she was soaked wet. "You'll get a cold if you walk like this. Do you live nearby?"

She smiled at me and said starting to walk away, "I'm going to be fine. Don't worry about it. It's not too long of a walk from here."

"How long of a walk is it?" I asked reaching for her hand to stop her from walking away from me.

She turned around and replied, "Honestly…It's not a problem. Besides, I am sure you have somewhere to be."

Shaking my head, I said, "I won't be able to sleep at night knowing I caused you to walk home all wet like this…Please….allow me to drive you."

She seemed to be contemplating my offer, then it was like some light shone up in her eyes and she said, "I…Well…Thank you…But I'll get your car wet."

I quickly smiled and said walking towards the car, "Don't worry about this! Look! I will put this cover here and you won't get the seat wet at all." After putting the cover on the seat, I turned around and said, "Besides…Getting a seat wet is better than you getting wet, don't you think? At least it won't get a cold."

She chuckled at what I said, then, got into the passenger seat. After closing her door, I went to my seat and drove off. Turns out she lived about twenty minutes away from here!

"You've got to be kidding me. You want to walk that long this wet?!"

She twirled a lock of her hair as she said, "It's not too bad. I like walking in the rain."

"Not this wet!" I repeated myself.

"I didn't want to bother you."

"I would have been bothered more if I left you knowing that you had to walk this wet." I explained looking ahead.

We were silent for a while, then, I asked trying to break the ice, "What's your name?"

She hesitated for a second, before replying eventually, "Sora."

"I'm Matt."

"Pleasure to have met you, Matt." She said politely.

"Likewise…Even though I'd have preferred if we met under drier circumstances."

A chuckle escaped her as she looked away. I sneaked a look at her. She was smiling… Something about her reminded me of Serena…They did look similar to each other….But something about Sora was different. Her eyes, warm as they were, showed strength.

"Do you work nearby?" I asked as I looked back ahead.

"Yeah," came her simple answer. She paused then added, "I am a florist."

"I guessed that much."

She raised an eyebrow at me and asked, "How did you guess that?"

"You smell like flowers…It's too faint and pure to be a perfume."

She smiled and asked, "I see…You're observant."

I nodded with a small smile of my own before parking in front of a small house that was surrounded with tall trees and flowers of every kind.

"Thank you, Matt." She said as she got out. After giving me another smile, she went inside and closed the door.


	3. A Date at the Library

**Another day and another chapter. I am trying to make things not go too slow for everyone. Hope you all enjoy this!**

**I think I need a Beta reader and was wondering if anyone was interested and/or could tell me where I can find one and how this usually works.**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Digimon or its characters!**

**Chapter 3: A Date at the library**

As I got out of the car after dropping Sora at her house, my eyes immediately fell on the box that was lying on the ground next to the door. Quickly, I picked it up and hurried it inside to unwrap it. Again, there was nothing but the white rose and a note inside.

_To play the game as you should_

_Always trace the problem to its roots_

That time it was short. What did that even mean? Why were the notes always so cryptic…Did the sender think that he or she was being watched? Was that the reason they chose me instead of a famous detective? Hundreds of questions flooded into my mind as they always did after reading one of those notes.

The doorbell cut my chain of thoughts, so I quickly folded the note and put it into my pocket and headed to the door with the empty box. I decided to play it safe and look through the peephole first. When I saw it was Tai, I opened the door and let him in.

"Howdy Bondie."

"Hey…Come on in."

After getting him in, I dropped the empty box outside on the door mat and closed the door.

"What was that? Ever heard of the garbage can?" Tai asked with a raised eyebrow.

"… That's why you're here. I need to tell someone."

"About your serious need for a garbage can?" Tai asked teasingly as he made himself comfortable.

I rolled my eyes at him and said, "I've been getting some notes lately…From someone who knows what's going on with the murderer."

"Whoa there, buddy. Backtrack….I need everything from the beginning."

"Well…it all started two days ago. I received a gift box from someone with a note and a white rose. That someone told me that he or she needed my help and if I am willing to help, I should leave the empty box outside…The next day, they told me that at midnight on that day, someone was going to be on the move…And in that night … Another woman was killed at midnight…Which led me to believe that… whoever that was knows something that we don't."

Tai stared at me trying to take all that I just said in. Then after a moment, asked, "Did that person … say anything else? Did you find out something else, Matt?"

I took the more recent one out of my pocket and showed it to him. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "What in the world does that even mean?"

Sighing, I sat next to him on the sofa and said, "Beats me. I'm still thinking about it."

Picking up the white rose that came with the letter and twirling it between my fingers, I started to think. It looked so beautiful. So pure and delicate. How could a criminal think of using it as a signature for his hideous crimes?

_Hold on a second_, I thought to myself. Repeating under my breath '_Always trace the problem to its roots', _I touched the stem of the rose. It was firm. Sturdy and firm. Opening up the rose a little, I checked the inside petals, they were not browning at the center.

"Tai…I think I know what the note meant."

My brown haired friend looked at me questioningly, so I went on, "Those roses. I think whoever sent this rose means to tell me that finding out where these roses, the ones the killer uses as a signature, come from would lead us to the killer himself."

"The killer uses simple white roses…Those could come from anywhere."

"I think the sender of the notes means to say that he gets them from the same place this rose was sent from. The roses come to me in wrapped gift boxes. They would brown very easily without air if they're left for even a few hours. The boxes come from a place not very far away from here. I'd say the first step would be to look for nearby florists. And preferably find someone who might be buying these white roses frequently."

…..

Luckily for me, the next day was the start of the weekend which meant I wouldn't have had to spend the whole day with Sam. Early in the morning, Tai and I started the search. Since we lived in a small town, there weren't that many florists around. About seven or something. We decided, however, to start with the one closest to my house which was about ten minutes away.

When we parked outside the shop and I got out, I took a better look at the place. It was small, but very beautifully decorated with roses, both natural and artificial.

Taking in the smell of the flowers that filled the air surrounding it, I was filled with excitement.

"Hopefully, we've come to the right place," said Tai as he got out of the car himself.

I started walking inside, "I have a feeling we are."

As we opened the door to the shop, I saw an elderly couple leave and heard a woman wishing them a happy anniversary from inside. The voice was very familiar. And indeed, when we stepped in, I saw that the owner of the voice really was familiar.

"Sora!"

She didn't seem very surprised to see me. She simply smiled and said, "Matt. It's great to see you again."

Tai looked at her, then looked back at me with a smirk and asked, "Aren't you going to introduce us?"

"Tai, this is Sora. I had the pleasure of running into her yesterday. Sora, this is Tai, my best friend."

"A pleasure to meet you, Sora. How a lovely lady like you got to know blondie beats me, though."

She chuckled and said, "The pleasure is all mine, Tai."

At that moment, a man came into the store. He was dressed in very expensive clothes and had his long graying hair in a low ponytail behind his back. His sharp blue eyes didn't seem to be very kind, but he smiled politely and us. He, then looked at Sora and asked, "How're you doing today, Miss Takenouchi?"

She looked scared for the split of a second, then, quickly got back to normal as she replied, "I'm great and you, Mister Fujimoto?"

"I'm just fine. Do you think you could ring me up quickly today? I have an appointment I need to keep."

She nodded politely and headed to a batch of fresh red roses and said, "Today you're going to be needing the red one … Not the white, am I right?"

Tai and I exchanged a look at what she said. The man didn't seem to be surprised, however. It was as if they had that conversation frequently. "Yes, Miss Takenouchi."

She smiled and nodded coming back with a single fresh red rose in very delicate wrap paper. After quickly ringing him up, the man raised his hat in curtsey for us and left.

"Wow. You remember every customer's needs?" I asked.

Her eyes met mine and I saw something. It was like she was trying to tell me something with her eyes.

"Only the frequent ones. Mister Fujimoto likes to buy a rose for his wife every day. They're usually red roses. With a white one every once and a while."

"I see… We were wondering if you could help us with a bouquet for Tai's fiancée? It's their monthly anniversary."

Smiling, she nodded and said, "Of course."

She started picking an assortment of roses, tulips and other flowers very professionally. I wanted to ask her…To see if she really was the sender, but I didn't want to give us away in case she really wasn't who I thought she would be.

"How long did it take you to become this good with plants? I've never seen flowers this good before." I asked trying to start a conversation. Maybe it would lead to something.

"Oh. Well…my mother was a florist and I learned a lot from her…But I also do my research. I go a lot to the library and read. In fact, I'm going there tonight after I close the shop."

I smiled and said, "That's good to hear. We want you to stay this good."

She smiled back and in no time, we were leaving the shop. And I knew exactly where to go from there.

….

"Maybe your guess was wrong?" Tai asked from behind the book he had picked to read. Well…To pretend to read anyways since I knew he wouldn't even have the patience to go past the first ten pages.

"No…I know what I saw in her eyes. I just know it."

"Where is she now, then? She should have already closed the shop about an hour ago."

I hated to admit that feeling of doubt I was getting. Was I really mistaken with what I have seen? Maybe I imagined it all because I was so excited to find a clue…

I was about to speak my doubts, when I caught a flash of red from the corner of my eye. She was here. I was right!


	4. Kidnapped

**This chapter is a bit…a lot shorter than I imagined it would be, but since I felt that this was the appropriate way to end it, I've decided to leave at this! **

**I think we get to see more of the characters this chapter. The way they think and act. Is it enough to totally know them? Of course not. And that would be my plan for the next chapters. **

**Anyways, I'll stop rambling here and let you enjoy the chapter!**

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Digimon or its characters!**

**Chapter(4): Kidnapped**

Upon stepping through the library's doors, Sora smiled at one of the librarians. The elderly man seemed to have been genuinely pleased to having seen her. She seemed to be engaging into a polite conversation with him and he was laughing heartily at some things she was saying.

As a detective, as usual, I started to get a better look of her. My eyes followed every move she made as subtle as that might have been. The first time I saw her, I didn't really bother to analyze her as I did at that library. Before, she was merely a beautiful woman I was lucky enough to meet. At that moment, however, she was much more. She was a witness...Possibly a victim.

One thing I noticed about her was that she always had the shadow of a smile on her face. Even when she wasn't talking to anyone, that shadow seems to have found itself a home on her face.

When she was talking to someone though, her face was perfect. So perfect that one would think that she was planning every expression she was making beforehand. And now that I think about it, I suppose she might have.

Her eyes showed intelligence and strength that I've never seen before. One look at her eyes and one could tell that the woman at hand was not easy to win over. Why would a woman like her end up as a florist still beats me?

My eyes travelled from her face down to her hands and the way she was holding that book she seemed to be returning. To the untrained eye, one would think that her fingers were casually holding the book. I saw something different. It was hard to explain really, but something about her hands made me get the notion that she was...holding that book tighter than most people...As if something about it was important to her.

Tai snapped me out of my analytical observations saying, "You know? It's not fair."

Confused at what he said, I turned to face him. He was no longer pretending to read that book he had been hiding behind. Instead, he was smirking at me.

"And what exactly are you talking about?" I asked folding my arms and matching his smirk with another. I knew him for long enough to know that he was about to crack a joke at me.

Casually swinging the closed book he was holding left and right, he replied, "You get to stare at people for as long as you want while I get a smack on the head everytime I look at any girl for more than three seconds."

I rolled my eyes and turned back to look at Sora, "I can assure you that unlike you I always have a good reason to do so."

Sora was done talking to that man and started heading in our general direction. I wasn't exactly sure she had already seen us since she wasn't making any eye contact with us.

As if suddenly noticing us, she smiled wider and walked over to our table. "What a pleasant surprise! It's great to see you, gentlemen, again!"

Tai raised an eyebrow, but quickly recovered and said, "Believe me! The pleasure is all mine. It's a great coincidence seeing that I was getting bored of Blonde over here."

She chuckled, and I admit that it was a musical sound, then said, "Well, feel free to come over more often. I always drop by before heading home."

"Oh! And I am starting to like reading all of a sudden. How about we start a reading club?"

Smiling, she asked, "I thought you were engaged."

"And Tai goes bye bye." I said chuckling at his face. I knew that he was just joking around. That he didn't mean to flirt with her really. Everybody who had seen him with Mimi would tell you that Tai was head over heels with her. Especially those who spent the first month those two dated listening to him ramble about how perfect she was in everything.

I then remembered the book she was holding, so I asked, "Your gardening skills come from here? This library?"

A look in her eyes told me that she was relieved I asked that question. As if she had been meaning to open up a conversation about the book, but wasn't sure how to do so yet. "Yeah. In fact, this book, while aimed at beginners, proved to be a good reference for me ... Oh you were interested in how I was keeping my flowers this morning. Are you planning on working on your garden?"

"Yeah. In fact, I've been meaning to do that for a while, but never found a good place to start."

Tai raised an eyebrow at me surprised that I was saying that. And that was for a good reason, too. Ever since I bought that house, I never bothered to care for that garden. My late wife had a not-so-bad green thumb and did give a little love to that garden, but I never did. Coming to think of it, at that time, the garden was starting to look like a dump.

"Well. I would recommend you to read this book, then." She handed me the book over making sure to lock eyes with me, "Read every page and everything'll be fine."

...

As soon as Tai dropped me home, I headed to my study, placed the book on a desk directly under the lamp and opened it. There had been something like a bookmark between two pages, so of course, it was the first spot I looked at. After opening those two pages, I saw that it wasn't a bookmark but a neatly folded paper.

_Words won't even start to explain how relieved I am that you answered my desperate call. I am a witness and thus a victim. And I have reasons to believe my time would be very soon. I can't leave for I might be followed, but I do need to disappear. Will you help me, please?_

I stared blankly at the wall...She needed to disappear from her house? Her life was in danger?...But how and where would I take her? If I brought her here, it would be very easy for him to follow us if he really was keeping an eye on her. Not only would I be risking her life, but also mine and everyone else's.

…...

In the next morning, everything was back to normal. The birds were singing. The mailman was going through his normal round. Kids were heading for school as their parents groggily made their way through traffic to work. Everything was back to normal...Everything but one piece of news.

_"This is Breaking News. The White Rose Killer is on the move again. Last night a new victim was added to the chain. Sora Takenouchi, a local florist, has disappeared from her house. Neighbours report hearing a scream around midnight, but by the time help arrived, she was gone. And nothing but a single white rose was lying on the floor of her livingroom. This is the first kidnapping incident for the White Rose Killer...And hopefully, it will be the last so everyone could sleep again peacefully."_


End file.
